A Perfect Christmas
by AbstractPoet
Summary: Ned/Chuck. What happens when the Pie-maker forgets to get a gift for his reanimated girlfriend?


_okay, so this year for Christmas I'm writing my friend 12 little love stories with the pairings of her choice. this is story number one, a __**pushing daises**__ fic with __**nedxchuck**__. so, enjoy. _

_oh, wait. disclaimer. i've only seen two episodes of this show, so please forgive me for any basic mistakes or unrealistic…stuff…_

_yeah._

Ned the pie-maker was in a particularly prickly predicament. There were approximately two days, four hours, fifty-three minutes and seventeen seconds left until Christmas and he was still flabbergasted as to what he could give his reanimated girlfriend on that day of days. He was already elbow-deep in flour over the many pie orders his little shop had received for the holidays and had no time to browse the many holiday shops that had popped up in Papen County.

_Maybe I should get her a Dutch love spoon…no, no, no. What am I thinking?_ Poor Ned shook his head. Each gift idea that he had was more ridiculous than the last! He viciously attacked the ball of pastry dough he had in front of him with his favorite rolling pin, turning it from a sphere of flour and water to a flat circle of uncooked pie crust. He slapped it into a pie tin, poked the bottom with a fork a few times to prevent bubbles and shaped the edges up with a few deft turns of his hands.

The soon-to-be pumpkin pie was popped in to the oven to cook the crust while Ned whipped up the filling. Flour dusted his dark hair as he moved from one station to the next, making pie after pie. He became so engrossed in his pie making that he didn't even noticed when his waitress, Olive Snook, slipped into the kitchen to grab a couple more pies to replenish the front supply.

The sudden appearance of the tiny blonde spooked the frazzled pie-maker, and he jumped, spreading flour everywhere. "Olive!" he squeaked.

The diminutive woman also squealed, half in surprise and half in disappointment at the white powder that now covered her. "Ned!"

"Oh, oh, I'm sorry, Olive. I'm just a bit…tense." Ned shook his head again and turned to the oven to pull the crust out.

"I just need some pie. We're running out. That day before Christmas Eve rush, huh?" She chuckled, gathering up a few of the available pies and scurrying out of the kitchen as quick as she could. Ned sighed.

"Sorry," he mumbled again as the door swung shut behind Olive. He glanced out of the window that looked out at the Pie-Hole and noticed that the waitress was certainly right. There did seem to be a Christmas Eve Eve rush to grab a slice of pie among the citizens of Papen County. He watched the delighted faces of small children as Olive served them large slices of Apple Pie a la mode. He noticed Emerson Cod sitting in a booth, enjoying a murder investigation-free day.

He poured the pumpkin filling into the freshly cooked shell, still watching his restaurant. Everything seemed to be going smoothly out on the floor, standing in sharp contrast to his frenzy in the back. He looked down at the pie and turned to slide it into the oven. Just as he looked back to survey the restaurant, the reason for the nervous knot in his stomach walked through the door.

Charlotte Charles. His Chuck.

Her chestnut hair curled softly around her milky face. She was blinking away the snowflakes that had accumulated on her eyelashes and brushing the snow out of her hair. But what his eyes focused on the most was her perfectly shaped, rosy-red lips.

Ned gulped, a crooked smile inevitably sneaking onto his face at the sight of her. The world seemed to slow down around him for a few seconds as he watched her shake off the weather, glance around, and turn to meet his gaze. Her face broke out into a huge smile.

Reality came crashing down fast as Ned finally tore his eyes away from her face to see the perfectly wrapped package she was holding. A Christmas gift.

The pie-maker quickly turned around, dusting his hands on his apron, freaking out inside. "Oh, no, no, no," he muttered under his breath, casting his eyes all around the kitchen. The knot in his stomach sank. He still had nothing for her!

"Hi Ned." Her melodious voice sent shivers straight into his heart, and even though he was dreading the inevitable exchange of gifts every particle sang for joy that she was in the same room he was.

"H…hi, Chuck." He tried to hide his stuttering with a very loud and very fake sneeze. Chuck didn't look convinced.

"Merry Christmas…" Her brow was slightly wrinkled an a skeptical tone overlaid her words. "You okay?"

"Me? Yeah, no, I mean…" Ned slapped his forehead. "I'm sick."

"And you're making pie! Ned!" Chuck quickly pushed Ned out of the kitchen, but not before he had a mini-heart attack.

"What do you think you're…!" He was silenced by a leather-covered finger. Ahh. Gloves.

Chuck was glowering at him, but it didn't last long. She was quickly softening, obviously relieved to be near him again. "You can't make pies when you're sick! You might infect them."

"I, uh…you're absolutely right, what was I thinking?"

She lightly punched his arm. "Silly Ned." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh! I brought you a Christmas present." She held out the box to him. It was wrapped in green paper covered with tiny fat Santa's and mini reindeer and topped off with an outrageously large golden bow. Ned smiled, he couldn't help it.

"Thank you." He took the package from her hands. He looked up at her expectant face, and the reality of his giftless-ness swirling back into his present thoughts. "Your present…I haven't wrapped it yet…I, um…have it in the kitchen…"

Chuck smiled. "Oh. Do you want to go wrap it."

Ned gulped, his eyebrows rising. "Yes…yes I do. Hold on." He gingerly slipped the present under the small tree on the counter and raced into the kitchen. He simply stood there, wracking his brains inside and out. He'd been lying; there was no present in here!

…or was there?

His eyes lit upon the perfect gift, the perfect present. He looked out at the Pie Hole to see Chuck ordering a sliver of pie from Olive, not looking his way at all. A triumphant smile on his face, he slipped it under his apron and slipped off to his apartment to wrap it.

By the time he returned to his restaurant, it had cleared out considerably and Chuck was sitting in a booth with a mostly empty plate in front of her. She was staring out of the window, a slightly melancholy look in her eyes. Ned slid into the seat across from her, pushing the newly wrapped gift across the table.

"Merry Christmas, Chuck."

Her eyes snapped to him immediately, then flickered down to look at the gift. It was wrapped in simple white paper with another ridiculously large bow plopped on top. Chuck picked up the long, rectangular package, wondering what could be such a shape.

Ned was one big, shining smile. "Open it."

"But it's not Christmas yet…" Despite her protest, Chuck started systematically ripping the paper off. When she's removed enough paper to see what it was, she stopped.

"Ned." She looked up at him, her eyes crinkled in laughter. "I love it."

The pie-maker just smiled at her. "I'm sure I'll enjoy it, too." He reached across the table to hold her glove-covered hands, slightly brushing away the half-unwrapped plastic wrap box out of the way.

It was going to be a good Christmas.


End file.
